Of hunters, wolves, girls, and old memories
by Lzsmith8
Summary: Lockren, a powerful troll hunter, makes a stop at a bar. There he meets Kimilia, a human girl who may just change his life forever. Add in Lockren's pet, Pulex, and we're up for a potenial bloodbath! One-shot


Wrote this forever ago, just re-found it the other day, and posting for you people to mock/praise. I'm not sure if I'll ever finish it, but you guys can let me know what you think of it. Reviews Love!

Disclaimer: I own the characters, the plot line, and well... that's about it...

It was so hard to smile now. After nearly three months of this constant pain and torture, it was just too hard to work up a convincing smile. But the man at her side insisted, his sharp eyes warning of what would come if she didn't. So she smiled a fake, plastic smile that would fade quickly then reappear whenever her 'keeper' looked at her. The inn was too warm, the door to the outside not opened for several minutes now, holding out snow and the cold, but keeping in too much heat, making the atmosphere almost stifling.

Then the door was opened, and a new patron entered the quiet room, striding in with a confidence few held. She saw him, and her lips pulled back into a faint snarl. _A troll._ With twin tusks that stuck out from his jaw, wild dark-red hair pulled back in a clumsy jumble of braids, bangs that covered his guarded eyes, height that made him head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the quiet inn, and skin that was a faint blue color; he was a fine specimen of a troll. A long shaft was strapped to his back, with feathers tied to it in several places, and three long scratches extending down its length; it took her several seconds to recognize it for a pole arm. He was covered in thick chain mail, which clicked faintly as he walked. He walked over to the bar, and slowly slid into the seat, giving a weary sigh.

The man at her side knew a potential customer when he saw one. He slowly walked up to him, trying not to alarm the dangerous islander, as he motioned the bartender over. He slid into the seat beside the troll and asked, almost politely, "You speak common, troll?"

The troll glanced at the man, giving him a once over. Her 'companion' was a tall man, with blonde hair and a disarming smile. He wore a long sword on his back, which was held in place in a fancy looking sheath and had a handle adorned with several beautiful jewels, and was covered in thick, golden-colored plate armor. The troll spoke, his heavy island accent causing her breath to momentarily catch in her throat. "Ya' mon, I be speaken' da common. Wa'tch want?"

Her keeper smirked. Or maybe he smiled, but from the way his eyes were glittering, he knew he had the troll's attention. He waved his arm at the goblin. "A beer for my fine-speaking friend 'tender! On me!"

The troll straightened, a small smirk playing on his face. "Dat sure be nice o' you mon." then his smile faded and she saw a dangerous light glittering in his eyes. "No hu-mon ever be' nice t' me—what you want?"

The blondes' smile faltered momentarily, but quickly returned. He spoke in a soothing voice, trying to calm the powerful-looking troll. "Now, now troll. I'm just being friendly—and trying to make some business." He nodded knowingly as though sure the troll couldn't turn him down. "My name is Bromen, and surely what I have you must have interest in."

The troll's hairless eyebrows shot up, and he stared at the human with a dark expression. Then he asked, his voice low, "Wa'tch mean, mon? I don' want no-ting fr'm you."

The human's smile remained on his face, as he slid the beer the goblin had handed him toward the troll. "How do you know you don't want my wares troll? Believe me; what I have to offer _should_ certainly be of _some _interest to you."

The troll seemed to consider his words; wordlessly taking a gulp from the beer he had been given. Finally he turned his body fully around, staring carefully at the merchant. "O-Kay 'den mon, I be listenin'. Wa'tch have fo' Lockren?"

_Lockren? That's his name? Why does it seem so familiar? _She thought before closing her eyes in anticipation. She knew her keeper's speech all too well—she also knew how she and the others were a part of it. Of all the humiliation she went through, this 'speech' had to hurt the most. The only thing she could do now was hope when it was over, that the tall being wouldn't choose her. She couldn't handle another night of pain—not tonight.

Bromen stood up from his stool, his smirk widening into a friendly looking grin. He waved his hands behind him, drawing a quick glance from the troll towards the girl's direction. He started a rambling speech, one well practiced, but filled with enough hints to tell the troll exactly what he was selling.

Lockren had never been a troll of any particular tastes. He was a busy hunter, with no time for relationships. He did attract the attentions of many a lonely female whenever he was in one of the capital cities, but he never paid attention to them. He was a powerful troll, one who no longer had to scrounge for food or other life necessities. He had no real schedule, nothing that needed being done right away, and had yet to feel the desire to settle down with a mate. He was a hunter, he needed only his companion. But now, when he turned his head in the direction the stout human was waving, he couldn't help but widen his eyes when he saw what the human was 'selling'.

The man was selling women, letting them do the dirty work while he collected the money. For a moment Lockren couldn't move, his fury pinning him to his seat. He slowly turned his head, looking over the girls on _display_. Twin night elves smiled at him, their glowing eyes so dim it hurt to look at them. A young dwarf woman stared straight ahead, her long red hair tied in a messy ponytail. A gnome, so short she was standing on a table to be noticed, stared at him with eyes that looked dead. And a human girl who could have once been beautiful smiled a cynical smile that spoke of only pain and hardship.

It was the human who attracted his attention the most. Unusually tall, with short-cropped red-blonde hair, the thin creature reminded him of a child. She was wearing a revealing white dress, which sparkled in the low light of the tavern. There were no sleeves on the dress, and had the light been better, Lockren would have been able to see the faint bruises that covered her arms. But Lockren was not a Beast Master because he didn't notice the details. He could see the hollow shadows under the girl's eyes, and took note of the yellow bruise on her cheek. Lockren usually considered himself to be a passive, easy-going, well-disciplined troll. He usually had to be, as he often traveled alone, leaving no room for mistakes. But, seeing this small human like this – broken, beaten, with almost no fight left in her - awoke something inside Lockren he thought he had killed long ago.

He glanced at Bromen, the fool still talking, unaware of the anger he had awakened in the troll. The man was babbling on and on over how his 'girls' were the finest around, 'guaranteed' to give a troll a good time. Lockren had heard enough.

His accent punctuated the quiet tavern, as he said in a low dangerous voice, "Shut-up Mon, or I pro-miss ya 'ill never 'ave children."

The human knew a danger sign when he saw one, and clamped his mouth shut. The troll paid him no more mind, and instead flicked his fingers together, making a 'snap' sound. The blonde stared in confusion at the troll, uncomprehending. Then the door of the tavern creaked open once again.

Snow blew into the tavern as the door was pushed open. The flickering flames in the lamps of the inn whipped back and forth, as the wind pushed its way in, then the weak flames steadied when the wind was forced back out as the door closed. The bartender looked up, searching for his new customer. No one there. He looked again, confused. What he saw nearly made him scream. A huge wolf was walking into his tavern!

The wolf was a silvery-gray creature, with disturbingly intelligent yellow eyes. He had an old looking scar on his snout, and his lips were pulled back over his teeth in a faint snarl. Long black claws extended from his paws, all chipped and worn, yet nearly as deadly looking as his teeth. He had a small limp in his back left leg, but there was no doubt the wolf was a seasoned warrior. The big canine paid no attention to the interest he was attracting, and walked slowly towards the troll, still seated on his bar stool.

Lockren turned his head toward the wolf, and grinned at him. He switched to his native language as he spoke to the wolf. "'allo der' Pulex. How ya doin'?"

Pulex responded with an unenthusiastic wag of his tail and a twitch of his ear, his sharp eyes darting around the room restlessly, taking in all the details. He settled on his haunches near the troll, but the wolf made no pretense that he was relaxing. His eyes came to a stop on the human, who still was standing near his master. From deep in his throat came a low rumbling growl, a warning to the to-close human. The blonde's eyes widened, as he quickly backed away from the pair.

The troll stopped him, speaking again in common. "Who said ya' ken leave hu-mon?"

Bromen froze, and the troll noticed that the human girl's smile widen slightly. The troll tapped the bar with one of his long fingers. He stared at the human, making no move to silence his pet. The man slowly sat back down, his face pale, and shiny with sweat. He made no effort to hide his fear of the wolf's growls, which were slowly getting louder.

He managed to stammer out, "D-do my wares in-interest you?"

The troll sneered, his eyes glimmering with hate. "What's 'er name?" he asked as he jerked his head in the direction of the human girl, whose smile faded when she realized who he was referring to. "'er. Ja girl's."

The blonde's face broke into a triumphant smile and he responded with a confident tone, "Ah, you have noticed my Kimilia, haven't you?" He went silent at the deadly look the troll gave him.

Kimilia started at the sound of her name. She hadn't heard it often since her ordeal had begun. She hated how it sounded coming from _his _lips, but was more afraid of _why_ the troll wanted to know it. She watched the troll carefully, not understanding, not _wanting_ to understand, his most certainly dark motives. He hadn't jumped immediately at the opportunity the human presented, but perhaps the islander had other plans for her. She was suddenly afraid.

Lockren felt his heartbeat quicken when he heard the girl's name. He was somehow sure he had met the girl before, and the name, 'Kimilia' sounded somehow familiar. Even Pulex was looking at the girl with interest, as though he knew the girl, perhaps from a lifetime ago. The troll glanced at the paladin, who had been smart enough to shut-up after speaking the girl's name. The man was watching him with unconcealed greed glittering in his eyes, making no real effort to hide it now that Pulex had stopped growling. The troll's eyes momentarily narrowed with disgust at the smaller being.

He dropped his hand to touch his wolf's head, whose growls had tapered off, and gently scratched the creature's ears. Then he leaned down and whispered quietly in troll to the canine, "Wa'tch thinkin' Pulex? Should I?"

Pulex glanced at his master, then turned his head toward the girl once more. He hesitated for a moment, then got up off his haunches, and slowly crept towards the girl, watching her with his intelligent eyes. Kimilia held her breath as the wolf reached her, and slowly sniffed her feet. He circled her, once, still sniffing slowly. She didn't dare move as she felt the creature's cold nose gently nudging the back of her knee. Then he circled around so he was looking up at her face. She stared down at the wolf, looking into his eerie knowing eyes, not noticing her hands quivering in fear. Suddenly the wolf did the unexpected. He wagged his tail for her, slowly flicking it back and forth, his large ears perked in her direction.

Kimilia couldn't help but the sudden tears springing in her eyes. Never had she seen the quiet trust reflected in the wolf's eyes directed at herself. She didn't think she would ever be able to trust anything again. Yet – staring into the eerie eyes of the wolf, she couldn't help but let some of her defenses crumble so she could stare back at the canine with desperation, begging him with her eyes to help her, hardly understanding why she was asking for help from a troll's pet.

Pulex had always been a wolf of unusual intelligence, with an uncanny ability to recognize problems, and largely successful attempts to figure out a solution. He was clearly his master's pet, and loved the troll more than life itself. The two worked as a team, relying on each other in a way few intelligent beings ever learned to rely on themselves. Pulex was once called an extremely unusual canine, as he had been witnessed going to work without even waiting for consent from his master. As the silver-gray creature stared into the desperate eyes of the girl standing before him, he seemed to decide now would be one such time he put his unusual intelligence to work, and did so without first looking to his master. He lay down, in front of the girl, nearly on top of her feet, and looked at his master with an expression that said, rather clearly, "I'm not moving."

Kimilia was rather startled to find a huge wolf nearly sitting on her feet, but she wasn't nearly as disturbed as Bromen was. He jumped up from his stool, waving his arms at the wolf and shouting, "No! No! Get away from her! Don't you damage her!"

Then he made a mistake. He pulled out his long, two-handed blade, which glittered fancily in the light of the tavern, and pointed it at the wolf, still shouting his angry warnings.

Lockren, who had been watching with amusement at his pet's antics, frowned when he saw the human pull his blade out. His expression darkened considerably when the fool pointed it at his wolf. He silently slid out of his seat, and clapped his hand on the smaller beings shoulder. Bromen froze as the troll's accented voice spoke in his ear, a _far_ more dangerous tone compared to what he had heard earlier. "Don't ya' _evar'_ point you' blade at muh dog, stoo-pid hu-mon."

Kimilia watched in awe as the human dropped his blade to the ground, where it fell with a clatter. The 'paladin' stood stock-still, not daring to more, lest the troll remove one of his more vital organs. She was sure Bromen was going to do something foolish, and get the goblins involved, which would result in death for all of them, but he simply stood there, trying not to aggravate the troll further. She didn't dare try to guess what the troll was thinking, but somewhere deep inside her, a small flicker of hope appeared; one she thought had died long ago.

The troll's voice left no room for disobedience, and he only spoke one word, "Sit."

The man did, sitting heavily in his seat, almost dropping into it, placing his hands in plain view on the bar. He was perhaps the first human to ever obey a direct order from a troll, but self-preservation was more important to him than thoughts such as that, especially in the face of such an angered troll as the one who was now fingering his pole arm, his sharp eyes darting over various points of the man's armor, looking for weak points. Thus he stayed there, glued to his stool, not daring to again move his eyes in the direction of the irate troll. Once the paled human had looked away from him, staring at the bar space in from of him, Lockren paid no more attention to him, and slowly strode over to the girl, who was now quivering in fear as he advanced towards her.

Kimilia had been truly afraid only three times in her life. The first time, she had been but a child, one too young to understand the world, and she had watched a horde raid on her hometown, where dozens of angry horde members had attacked the hapless farmers, slaughtering all who stood in their way. She had lost her father that day. The second time, had been only three years before, when she had opened her mailbox and found an official letter from the king, which simply stated that her oldest brother, Jason, had been killed in battle against the Scourge. The third time was not four months ago, when she had first met her 'keeper', and was captured. But none of those fears, none of them, compared to the fear she was feeling as the red-haired troll walked towards her, his chain mail clinking slightly as he moved. She was sure, that within the next few seconds, she was going to die. She tore her eyes away from the troll's guarded face, and stared at the ground, shaking in terror.

Lockren felt a strange disquiet as he walked closer toward the shaking human. He was a Beast Master, a hunter in total control of himself, who had seen things that now seemed mundane, that no one else had ever seen in their lifetimes. Yet as he got within two feet of the human, and smelt her scent, lilacs and rain, he felt as though there was something about to happen, something that would change him, forever. The girl turned her head away from him, and he could see she was visibly trying to control herself. He reached out his large hand, and gently placed one of his calloused fingers under her chin. It felt as if his entire body went warm, and that there was an energy being transferred that not even he recognized.

The young girl held her breath when she felt the troll's finger touch her chin. It was surprisingly gentle, yet she had no choice in raising her head so she could look into the taller being's eyes. They were green, and guarded, signaling a warrior who knew the world's hardships. She looked up at him fearfully, trying to read his expression. His eyes searched hers carefully, as though he was searching for something. Three months ago, she would have been running as fast as she could in the opposite direction. Now, she was willing the troll to take her away, to release her, preferring his company to that of the human she 'traveled' with. Suddenly, the troll's eyes widened, and he let his hand drop away from her chin, stepping back, almost stumbling. She looked at the troll, blinking in confusion.

Lockren finally recognized her. It shocked and scared him in a way words could barely begin to describe.

Flashback

"Shut yer' trap Pulex, we be in dangerous lands."

Lockren Wolf'Cal been called one of the more intelligent trolls of Azeroth, but right now, he was feeling rather stupid. Truth be told, he felt really stupid, and not just because he and his wolf were so deep in enemy territory that if he stood his full height, his body would hit the ground with no less than half a dozen arrows. No, rather it was _how_ he ended up lying not ten feet from a group of grumpy, bored night elves.

So Darkshore was attached to Felwood. So the river he had been swimming in had a really strong current. So when he hit the water after he fell from a waterfall he hit his head. So when he awoke Pulex saw a gnome and tried to chase after it. None of these really explained why in **hell **he was lying not ten feet from where at least three angry night elves were standing guard. He was a dead troll; his body just didn't know it yet.

But he was also a stubborn troll, and was not about to give up quite yet. Somehow, someway, he was going to get out of here alive, and with all limbs attached. At least, that was what he kept telling himself anyway.

He watched the trio of elves as they slowly looked around, watching for morons like him who dared to come into their territory. Lockren knew if he was going to get out of this, he was going to need either a lot of luck, or a damn big distraction. Now he was just trying to decide if he should wait for a distraction, or take his chances with the guards. He had always been called a lucky troll, though he never understood why…

He had foolishly drained his energies while traveling in Felwood, and had lost his hearthstone when he had tumbled down the waterfall that landed him here in the first place. At least, that what he thought had happened, his mind was rather hazy of how he ended up swimming down a river in the first place. He was low on arrows, Pulex was wounded, and now the night elves standing not ten feet away from where he and his pet were hidden were starting to move closer toward him.

Lockren knew that within seconds, he would be discovered, and could only hope that he somehow would be able to surprise them long enough for him to make an escape. Now one of the elves was so close, Pulex could have torn her leg off. But the troll knew there was no danger of that as long he gave the beast no command. He had trained his wolf well, and knew the creature would not act without his say so. Then, miracle of miracles, the elves suddenly turned and starting walking away, going back in the direction of Astranaar.

Lockren was stunned, but wasted not time in taking advantage of the situation. He sat up on his knees, and muttering a simple spell, summoned a frost trap to appear before him. Glancing around to see that no one was watching, he then jumped to his feet and raced toward the shoreline, Pulex easily keeping pace, despite his slight limp. Not two seconds after he started moving, there were sudden angry shouts from behind him, and the familiar 'twang' sound as several arrows were fired in his direction; all of them with the accuracy night elves were famed for.

The troll knew what the elves expected him to do. Roll to one side or the other, and that where the arrows where going, not including the one probably aimed for his head… So he preformed the unexpected, and leaped into the air, curling his body as he did so. Two arrows whizzed by his head, missing him by a hair length. Another buried itself deep into a tree not two feet to his right. He hit the ground, but had timed it correctly. He rolled head-over-heels, then sprang back up and kept running. He heard a satisfying 'KA-SNAP' as his frost trap was activated.

He didn't have to know the language to guess what the elves were shouting as a large amount of snow and ice suddenly appeared beneath their feet. It didn't hurt them, that was the **last** thing he wanted to do. But it slowed them down; giving him the chance he needed to get away from the angry elves. Now, if they could only reach the water, he and his wolf would be able to escape with their lives. Running madly, paying no mind to where he was going, leaping over logs and dodging branches, all he could think was; _"Ye-gods, but I be an idio'."_

Suddenly, the ground he had been running on was gone, and he tumbled to the ground. He fell with an angry shout, furious with himself for being careless. He struggled to his feet and jumped to the side, as a second round of 'twang's was heard. This time, only one arrow whipped by his head, another rocketed off a tree to his left and he didn't know where the final arrow ended up. But he guessed not half a second later as Pulex let out a sudden groan, and **stumbled. **

The troll felt a sudden wrench in his gut, and he whirled around and watched helplessly as his wolf took a few more steps, then fell to the ground, an arrow sticking out from his hip, buried almost halfway into the canine's leg. Not knowing what else he could do, he dodged behind a shrub, flattening himself to the ground, praying he was far enough away.

There was a shuffle of feet as the night elves drew closer, but suddenly they stopped, and Lockren held his breath, not daring to more, lest the elves slaughtered him were he lay. There were two voices for a short while, speaking in the confusing Darnassian language, which argued for a short while, before the owners of said voices walked away, leaving him and his now mortally wounded wolf alone in the forest.

His wolf, who was his best friend, companion, and guardian all rolled in one, was now lying on the dirty forest ground, panting and whimpering quietly in pain, the arrow still sticking out of his leg. The troll was furious with himself for letting his friend get hurt. He waited a short while before daring to move, terrified of what he knew he would find, cursing himself for not learning the simple spell: 'Mend Pet' which might be of use right now. He was about to crawl out of his bush, and try to help his pet, no matter how hopeless it would be, when he heard a new sound in the mostly silent forest.

'_Whistling? Who on Azeroth whistles anymore?'_ He tried peering around the branches of his shrub, looking for whoever was making the cheerful sounds. Leaves obstructed his view for a few moments, then…He saw her.

Long, satin-blonde hair, which slowly moved back and forth with the wind. A simple staff, with several confusing runes etched into the wood. Thin hands clutched the staff firmly, with the confidence of a youth. A long, almost flowing dress, which left little for the troll's imagination, clung to the girl's body. Her whistling faded, when she saw the wolf, and Lockren was sure she was going to scream, or freak out and kill his poor canine without mercy.

Instead, the human fell to her knees beside the wolf, and started gently running her hands up and down the wolf, whispering quietly in Common to the creature. Lockren expected his wolf to snarl at the human, or at least growl. Instead, the big canine lifted his head so he could better see his savior, than slowly wagged his tail for the girl, thumping it against the forest ground.

Lockren was confused. His wolf usually had no tolerance for humans, and wouldn't let one near him unless he was tearing at their throats. But now, lying wounded in the middle of Allied territory, he was sucking up to the human, wagging his tail, almost looking…cute. The troll raised his hairless eyebrow at Pulex, and he was almost sure the creature was laughing; though he was confused as the how he could be, seeing as how there was still a rather large arrow shaft sticking out from his left hind leg.

The girl, now smiling at the wolf, gently touched the shaft with her fingers, feeling the thickness of it and seeming almost in awe of the canine's strength. The shaft was nearly completely buried into the hind leg of the pet, and the pain must have been excruciating, but the wolf only allowed himself small whimpers, not daring to make any louder sounds, not in these woods.

Lockren wanted to jump up, cut the girl's throat, grab his wolf and run. But he didn't dare, as he was unsure of the human's class, and was scared that if he startled the girl, she would hurt his wolf more. She didn't, yet, but was now pulling a large, deadly looking dagger out from one of her packs, and was eying the wolf closely seemingly trying to decide something.

He knew what was about to happen. A mercy killing, one that would end the life of his warrior, his pet, his best friend. He wanted to jump up and kill the girl, but even he knew there was nothing to be done for the creature, and that now his death would be quick. He turned his head away not wanting to see it.

Suddenly Pulex let out a whimpering growl, and the troll turned his head pack, not daring to trust his eyes. The human had cut the shaft of the arrow and was not tossing it to the side, the dagger in her hand not wavering an inch. Now Lockren guessed her class. Priestess. The girl was a healer, one who existed to make things better, to heal the world. Thus, she wasn't going to kill his wolf, instead she was going to help him _live._

He watched with unhidden awe as the girl mumbled ancient spells, waving her hands over the body of the wolf, sharing with the creature the soft blue her hands were covered with. She gently touched the wound, which had begun to bleed sluggishly, letting her thin fingers gently probe the flesh, her hands still covered in the healing light. The wolf was still whimpering quietly, but there was no menace in the sounds, in fact, the creature almost sounded…docile. Then, without warning, the girl pushed her fingers into the wound, causing the poor canine to yelp in pain. Before Lockren could jump to the rescue, she pulled her fingers out, gripping tightly to a familiar looking arrow.

Lockren blinked, staring at the shaft that he would have never been able to get out of Pulex on his own. It was slowly dripping blood, but was in one piece. There wouldn't even be any arrow shards in the wound that he would have to worry about. The human now tossed the arrow to the side, where it fell on the forest ground with a small thump. Pulex raised his head to stare at the former offending weapon, then with an almost happy 'yip', began to lick the human's face, slobbering all over her with his long wet tongue.

It was all the troll could do not to burst out laughing. The wolf had only licked someone's face once before in his life. The results had been less than pleasant, and the both of them had ended up banned from entering Undercity for nearly a month. But this time around, the affection was apparently taken a little better, as the girl was giggling and gently ruffling the silver creature's fur.

Suddenly Pulex scrambled to his feet, and shook himself violently, scattering pine needles and blood everywhere. The girl got to her feet, a large smile on her feet, the blue light fading from her hands. Lockren blinked, confused, still lying on the forest ground. _"Did I miss something? How is he standing?"_

The wolf turned in a small circle, sniffing the ground, his large tail wagging madly back and forth. Lockren finally caught a glimpse of his wolf's wound. His face went blank for a moment, as he started at the patch of clean white fur.

The wound was gone, almost completely healed over. His wolf was going to live, and perhaps, if he was lucky, so would he. It was a this point he realized that he could now be rid of the human, and kill her, guaranteeing his escape from this elf ridden land.

He considered this fact for a moment, still flattened on the grass, staring up at the small woman. Then he shook his head. There were too many notches in his bow already. He didn't want to add another, not today, not so soon after watching the girl save his wolf's life.

It seemed that the girl was finished with her healing work, for she gave Pulex one last pat, smiling gently at it, before she turned and started walking away, humming gently. Lockren could only watch in awe as the girl moved away from him, until he was distracted by an excited wolf, who was enthusiastically licking his face, slobbering all over him.

Sputtering, the troll shoved the wolf away, and got to his feet, glancing around. Giving his dog a quick scratch he eyed the trees around him. To his surprise, he recognized the trees around him. He started jogging through the trees, pleased at how easily his wolf was keeping up.

Lockren promised himself a long bath and some new spells as he finally exited the woods. He glanced back once, but there was nothing to see. Shaking his head, he continued to jog down the path, trying not to stumble over any roots hidden in the path.

End Flashback

Kimilia starred up at the troll, frowning slightly. His eyes were distant as he starred somewhere over her shoulder, apparently halfway lost in his memories. She cleared her dry throat, and he immediately came back, his startled eyes blinking rapidly.

Shaking his head a few time, Lockren brought his attention back to the girl standing before him. She was very different, so much thinner, and with her spirit almost completely broken, but her eyes, which were giving him a rather impatient look, gave her away. This was definitely the priestess from so long ago, the one who had saved the life of his wolf, the one who brought him back from death's very doorstep.

Kimilia blinked when a sudden grin appeared on the troll's face, one that showed off his stained yellowed teeth. She jumped a little when he gave her a quick wink, and couldn't help the sudden blush of her cheeks. She had never been one to blush at men's advances before, but there was something in the blue-skinned being's eyes that made her feel as though whatever was about to happen could change everything.

Lockren grinned wider as he noticed the girl's cheeks pink, but he didn't let himself dwell on the sudden pull in his chest. Abruptly turning away from her, he barked out an order to Pulex, one that was immediately obeyed.

Pulex, who had been lying at their feet, pulled himself up on all fours and, growling menacingly started moving towards Bromen, his teeth pulled back in a deadly snarl.

End Note: O.K.! That's it that's all! I really don't even remember where I was going with this story, but I think it involved a human/troll pairing and lotsa death by Pulex. Oh well. Someday I may get around to finishing this, but until then, I'll let you people read/tear apart/review this. Thanks for reading this far, and please review!

Seriously, Review!


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